multi-billion dollar boost. japanese leaders lay out their master plan for revitalizing the economy. welcome to nhk world "newsline." japanese government is following through on its promises to give the economy a shot in the arm. government leaders have agreed on a stimulus package worth $115 billion. they hope to boost growth by 2%. the government will allocate the

funds to three areas. more than $40 billion will go to rebuilding after the earthquake and tsunami and to disaster prevention. workers will use the funds repairing infrastructure such as tunnels and bridges. about $35 billion will be spent on measures to ensure security and revitalized communities. and about $35 billion will be spent on driving growth. some of that will support business ventures. other funds will go into promoting joint research projects between universities and companies. stimulus package plus spending by local governments and the private sector will add up to $230 billion. >> translator: governments under the democratic party focused only on redistribution. they didn't make enough effort to increase incomes and expand the economy. i'm determined to change the basic philosophy.

i'm going to boost the profits of japanese companies to create jobs and increase wages. >> government leaders say the stimulus will help them create 600,000 jobs. they say they'll push through a supplementary budget on tuesday to finance the package. nhk world has covered obvious policy during his first round of prime minister and closely watching the situation today. tell us a little bit more about the stimulus measures. gene, the size of the package is the largest since one worth $150 billion during the height of the global financial crisis in 2008. japan is already in recession after two straight quarters of negative growth. china is slowing down, the eurozone is still suffering and the u.s. economy remains precarious so abe is determined to turn around the japanese economy. of course from is a political dimension to this. japanese vote again in july in the election for the upper house and abe needs to show he's doing something to speed the recovery.

>> there's a lot of money involved. the question is will it work? >> certainly these measures will provide a temporary boost but they will not solve the underlying problems. abe says he'll build his economic policy on three pillars -- increased public spending, monetary easing and doing more to encourage growth. we've seen in the stimulus how abe plans to spend taxpayers' money. on top of that he is urging the bank of japan to set an inflation target of 2% and to get more money flowing through the economy. the lines on the final pillar measures toward growth are less clear. some have insisted sustainable growth will only come by making industries more competitive through deregulation. but, government leaders have yet to articulate how they'll make that happen. >> you just mentioned this could be a temporary boost. i guess the question is what does abe need to do in the longer term. >> the labor force is shrinking. so is domestic demand.

no matter how much money the government injects, it will not be a cure-all. the effects wear off. what abe an those around him need to do is to create more demand. they need to boost productivity through more flexible labor force and deregulation. >> prime minister abe should also promote the free activity in private sector by reducing regulation inside the economy. japan needs to switch from fiscal spending led recovery to private sector demand recovery. >> we'll be watching how the markets respond to these moves. snow balling debt could hurt confidence in japanese bonds. abe must find a path to sustainable growth before the effects of the stimulus fade away. ?

thanks, reiko. the suicide of a star high school basketball player in japan is generating nationwide attention and raising questions about physical abuse of students in schools. the student said the teacher who coached his club beat him on a number of occasions. the teacher defended his actions saying it was sports discipline. nhk world reports. >> reporter: members of the osaka board of education have spoken again and again about the loss of one of their students. the high school basketball player committed suicide last month. in a note, he said his coach had physically punished him repeatedly. the student said the violence escalated last september after he became team captain.

he told his mother in december about a prolonged beating he said he suffered following a practice match. the next day, he killed himself. the mayor of osaka, who's also a lawyer, has condemned the board of education and the school. he is promising a thorough investigation. >> translator: beating someone 30 or 40 times is unpardonable. this is not short of a crime. if it really happened, this can be considered an assault case. >> reporter: japanese law bans physical punishment at schools but ministry of education statistics show it happens just

the same. hundreds of teachers across the country have been reprimanded in the past decade for using corporal punishment. in the 2011-2012 school year, 108 of 404 cases happened at sports clubs. the basketball team at the high school in question has made a name for itself at national tournaments. but it also has a reputation for abuse. parents have told the school and the board of education about incidents of corporal punishment. the club's supervisor, who is currently on suspension, has been at the school for 18 years. the length of his tenure and the success of his team gave him a lot of power. >> translator: the school wanted to have a new teacher as efficient as he is, but it failed to find one.

>> reporter: administrators have apologized to parents for what happened. other teachers who run sport clubs say they're committed to ending corporal punishment. but some parents aren't convinced. >> translator: we suspect there are more hidden facts and want the school to be more transparent. >> reporter: there are so many things about the school's explanation that weren't visible. physical punishment is widespread in schools in japan, especially at institutions that focus on sports. it has sometimes been dismissed as discipline or tough love between teachers and students. but many people say while corporal punishment was accepted decades ago, it is unacceptable now. nhk world, tokyo. gentleman man's supreme court ruled that retailers should ab loud to sell nonprescription drugs over the

internet. the decision invalidates a government ordinance banning online sales of medication to treat allergies, colds and stomach problems. until now, a health ministry ordinance banned online sales of drugs presenting a high risk of side effects. two retailers challenged the rules arguing they were excessive and illegal. the supreme court ruled that the government's blanket ban went beyond the scope of legislation. the decision was immediately welcomed by the retailers. >> translator: we'll resume online sales of drugs as of today. convenience shouldn't be sacrificed for the sake of safety. we believe that both are entirely compatible. >> some groups warn that consumers could be at risk. this woman represents people suffering from side effects linked to medication. >> translator: people should be aware that a single occurrence of side effects can cause irreparable damage. convenience should never be given priority over safety. >> health minister says authorities will consider new

rules, including a revision of the pharmaceutical law. friday marks one year and as millions of people around the world go hungry every day, the word about wasting food. about half of global food output ends up in the garbage. a group says about two billion metric tons of rice, vegetable ands meat are thrown away a year. they do not meet retailer stands ardz on physical appearance. they sell away 50% of food before the expiring date. in developing countries, a large quantity of food rots before it reaches consumers due to poor transportation and storage facilities. the global population will

increase by 35% to 9.5 billion in 2075. xi is planning her first visit to japan in more than 25 years. patchari raksawong in bangkok has more details. patchari, good evening. good evening, gene. aung san suu kyi has expressed her intention to visit japan as soon as march. now, myanmar's opposition leader is the icon of the country's push towards democracy. she is expected to ask tokyo to support her cause. aung san suu kyi told an nhk reporter at the parliament in the capital on friday that she received an invitation from the japanese government. the visit would be her first to japan in 27 years. she stayed in japan from 1985 to 1986 as a guest researcher at the center for southeast asian studies of kyoto university. aung san suu kyi won the nobel peace prize in 1991 for promoting democracy and human rights. she spent many years under house arrest during myanmar's former military government. and last april she was elected to the lower house of parliament in an election. since then she has visited

various countries, including the united states. she used those visits to seek international support for reform in myanmar. afghanistan's president hamid karzai is meeting barack obama at the white house on friday. it will be a critical meeting to negotiate the scale of any long-term u.s. military presence in the war-torn country. ahead of those talks karzai on thursday met with leon panetta at the pentagon. the secretary of defense says the military campaign is reaching its final chapter. >> after a long and difficult task, we finally are, i believe, at the last chapter of establishing an afghanistan, a sovereign afghanistan, that can govern and secure itself for the future. >> afghanistan will, with the help that they provide be able to provide security to its people and to protect its borders. >> panetta said he and karzai made good progress but he declined to say whether they had agreed the size of the u.s. force that will remain in afghanistan. >> after a long and difficult

path, we are finally, i believe, at the last chapter of establishing in afghanistan, a sovereign afghanistan that can govern and secure itself for the future. >> afghanistan will, with the help that are you providing, be able to provide security to its people and to protect its borders. >> panetta said and he karzai good progress but declined to say if they agreed on the size of u.s. forces that will remain in afghanistan. the united states currently has 68,000 military personnel in afghanistan. local forces are supposed to take over responsibility for security before the end of 2014. any u.s. soldiers that remain would be for training and assistance. the transfer of security powers seems an ambitious goal, given the persistent taliban insurgency in afghanistan.

friday's meeting between karzai and president obama seems difficult with the competing agendas both leaders have to juggle. we have more. >> reporter: the number of troops in the afghan military is growing, but they are not ready for the mission to control the security of the country after 2014. experts warn that unless international forces say longer, afghanistan risks falling back into a state of civil war with the taliban, but u.s. public opinion is stacked against the long war. americans want their troops to come home as soon as possible. and with increasing attention on the u.s. budget deficit, the campaign is seen as increasingly unaffordable. u.s. media has reported that the white house is considering reducing the number of troops that remain in afghanistan to

below 10,000. u.s. deputy national security adviser, ben row said on tuesday that a total withdrawal remains an option. that announcement caused anger among people in afghanistan. >> translator: if all u.s. troops leave afghanistan after 2014, it will be civil war again. we experienced civil war in the past and it will happen again if all the troops go home. >> observers said the afghan government would direct to keep some u.s. forces in the country to deter the taliban. but anti u.s. sentiment is high among all the afghans, so only a limited presence would be accepted by the public. >> friday's summit meeting is a critical moment of the the two leaders need to negotiate a deal that meets public demands in

both countries for withdrawal. while also preventing afghanistan from becoming a lawless haven for terrorism. nhk world, hideki yui. and that will wrap up our bulletin for today. chinese officials are promising to stand strong in the face of protests calling for them to stop meddling with the media. it follows allegations from reporters at a weekly newspaper who authorities say they censored one of the editorials. the officials confirm at their meeting on thursday that they would faithfully follow the pear's instructions. the committee's propaganda chief was among those in attendance. protesters have been calling for his resignation because he's considered the key figure behind the alleged censorship at the

paper. there were days of demonstrations in front of the newspaper's headquarters. people have written posts calling for major protests in cities over the weekend. police remain on high alert around the building. no large rallies took place on friday. but the issue still simmers online. people have written posts calling for protests in major cities over the weekend. chinese officials accuse japan of exacerbating tensions over the east china sea. >> translator: it's normal for chinese military aircraft to fly over these waters. we oppose japanese attempts to exaggerate the situation and create tensions without any reason. >> china's defense ministry say they were patrolling over a natural gas field.

two fighter jets were sent to monitor the situation. the ministry claims japan expanded surveillance missions against china. they also say japan often disrupts the activit of chinese planes. japanese and chinese leaders have been at odds over territory they both claim in the east china sea. japanese owned companies face boycotts and demonstrations that turned into vandalism. one man forged on in the face of all this. he's proving that when it comes to good food, borders don't matter. >> reporter: a new restaurant opened last month. the food is being well received.

the manager is this man. when this japanese chain is set to open first branch in china, he was the first person they turned to as a businessman. he has been working in the restaurant industry in china for 12 years. currently he manages 70 restaurants in shanghai. he has established himself in china now. getting there has been a long, hard journey. the first time he tried setting up a restaurant there in 2005, he had a restaurant that was vandalized just before it was set to open. another time his employees went on a strike. after last year's anti-japanese protests, he lost many

customers. even so, he has managed to overcome every situation. in spite of the chilly relations people in shanghai are becoming very keen on japanese food. he sees massive potential in china's huge market. >> translator: if japan detached itself from china, its economy would falter. that would be bad. and it would be the same for china, too. i don't think the anti-japanese sentiments are a hurdle that can't be overcome. >> reporter: last year he opened a food processing plant in shanghai. it supplies preparing ingredients for restaurants in china. his aim is to provide backup service until the companies established themselves. he gets many visits from

managers of japanese companies who are planning to open branches in china. they are confident that their secret recipes will be secure with him. >> translator: it's not easy to find a company with facilities like this. on many levels this really helps and supports our business. >> reporter: hygiene and safety are major concerns for japanese companies entering the chinese market. he sometimes takes clients aren't markets to help them understand their ingredients better. >> translator: taking on the chinese market, the hurdles are high and hard. but i think the challenge is worth it. >> reporter: there is no single rule for running a successful business in china. but for fujioka, the key is persistence. his dream is to see japanese

style casual eating spread through other countries. nhk world, shanghai. residents of western australia are preparing for the first cyclone of the year. meteorologist robert speta is here. robert? >> they're suffering the severe drought and fire weather in australia, to the west, take a look at this. a very strong cyclone. the past 24 hours, this has shown rapid intensification. that is showing how strong this storm system is. pushing down toward the south. rain at the category 4 intensity from the bureau of meteorology and good news, the core of destructive winds is remaining offshore. 260 kilometer wind gusts, likely won't see that push onshore. still, outer rain bands will bring gale force winds near the coastlines and a light storm surge as this passes by and the heavy rains, one that comes

down, falls on the desert soil across the area that will be rushing right into the rivers and causing the risk of flash flooding. watch this one for the next several days. continues to push off toward the south. northern hemisphere, we have been watching stationary boundary starting to develop into southern china and this is also interacting with the high pressure from the north. part of the siberian high. cold high pressure system. and bringing in snowfall. i want to show you video out of southern china here. they are into yunnan province. snow affecting the region, disrupting traffic and knocking out power supplies to urban and rural areas. snow started back on wednesday night in yunnan. temperatures dropped well below zero. roads closed due to widespread fog, which backed up the traffic on some of the highways for several miles.

very messy situation across this region. it looks like you will see that rain and even the mix of freezing rain into the system as it starts to push off toward the east. meanwhile, we've also been talking about the tropical depression over the philippines, bringing rainfall for up 50 to 100 millimeters in the past 24 hours. the reason i bring this up, risk of flooding here, but as this pushes off toward the north. the low out of china and will combine, and it looks like as they merge together, a very strong and deep low pressure system will start by early next week and push off toward japan. you see it shoot on the model map here, but that will bring gale force winds, even some heavy rainfall toward the pacific side of japan, including tokyo and as it does start to push off. cold air will wrap around it, even to tokyo, you could see a mix of snow and even sleet in there. that is something we will be watching by next week. also, talking about a storm

system. this one into the great lakes region, moving to the northeast. we have a front that brought severe weather to the gulf states. and freezing rain around the great lakes. ahead of it, have you been seeing warm temperatures. behind it, things drastically change. we talked about the cold front. that's attached to the very deep trough into the jet stream. what that means, cold air to the arctic will pour toward the south. temperatures will drop right off the cliff. denver, a high of 1, in 24-hour period, down to minus 8. chicago, 14 for the high on friday, 0 on sunday. winnipeg, minus 6. already chilly in a 24-hour period, minus 17 as cold arctic air comes down. things will change and chill off throughout the weekend. here is the extended forecast.

a french man has proved having no arms and no leg isn't necessarily an obstacle in achieving your dreams. the quadruple amputee has added to his list of achievements by successfully diving to the

bottom of the world's deepest pool. philippe croizon took on the latest challenge. he had all his limbs amputated after he was electrocuted 19 years ago. he touched a high-voltage capable when he was removing a tv antenna. he dove to the bottom. >> i have never seen so many hands up. everybody had a smile on their face. a moment of sheer happiness. >> reporter: croizon has achieved a number of records. he swam the english channel between britain and france in 13 hours. we'll be back in 30 minutes with more news. i'm gene otani in tokyo. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com